


Little Dove

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: Other, the reader can be whichever gender you wish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 04:24:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15598218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: You decide to hear Ydris out. Spoilers for the latest story quests, of course.





	Little Dove

You haven't been up to the Highland for at least a week. That in itself is odd. Usually, you'd be there every day, either chatting to the handsome magician who lives there or otherwise spending time with his beautiful horse. But who are you kidding, really? Ydris was always the main reason for you coming there. Ever since you'd first arrived in Jorvik and had found his mysterious horse at the dock behind the pole bending course.

Zee is the first to see you when you crest the hill and make your way past the abandoned farm on horseback. The mare is, for some reason or another, out grazing on the grass that grows near the racetrack. At the sight of you, she whinnies a greeting. You lift your hand in a wave, and she turns around and canters back towards the part of the Highland where the circus tent has been set up. You still remember helping to set that up, though you mostly just opened some boxes and then watched in awe. Ydris had teased you, calling you lazy, but you know that he secretly adored how amazed you looked as he'd performed his magic.

As you approach the big top, you begin to feel a little nervous. You know that Ydris will wonder why you stayed away so long, if it was his fault, if you are scared of him or simply just distrust him now. And, honestly, maybe you do distrust him a little. It's hard to trust someone who wants your world to die, after all. And yet... you feel like you should at least hear him out. Before, Linda had cut him off when he'd tried to explain, and that had only annoyed you slightly at the time. And then everything else had happened, and the guilt over hurting Ydris had eaten you up too much to hang around under the big top. Especially after seeing the hurt in his eyes when he'd told you that you were always welcome back here. That hadn't just been an offer. It had been a plea, almost. Begging you not to leave forever, to return to the circus tent soon and to not turn your back on him.

That guilt had eaten you up until you'd saddled your horse, big farewell to your friends (and chores for the day, much to the annoyance of the people who were actually employed to do those jobs), and ridden up the rocky slope onto the Highland. And now, here you are, slowing your horse to a stop in front of Ydris' wagon. You decide to leave your horse here, no matter where Ydris is. Your horse seems more than happy to graze, though, and let you concentrate on what you need to do.

You walk towards the circus tent at first, imagining that Ydris will still be in there, where he'd been when you'd left. Parting the entrance flaps, the smell of warm rubber and sawdust washes over you, accompanied by the scents of popcorn and... magic? It smells nice and you close your eyes, letting the pleasant scents and memories wash over you. Memories of coming up here and riding around in the ring, imagining that you are part of Ydris' show. You could never have imagined exactly how you would be a part of his show. A horse act, indeed.

He's not here. The lights are all on, the robed figures ever-present in the seats are still there, even Xin is still standing atop the edge of the seating. Perhaps you hurt him when you used that Cosmic Clock, rendered him powerless. Perhaps he's paralysed. Or perhaps it's nothing. Ydris is not here, though, so you turn to leave.

"He's in his wagon." You turn back around, your heart beating fast in fear. You recognise that voice, it had seemed so scary the last time you'd heard it.

"Thank you," you say to Xin, and leave the ten quickly. You don't want to linger, nor do you want to apologise. Xin may be part of Ydris' 'family', but that doesn't mean that you have to like him. Besides, you need to see Ydris.

Outside, you walk across the grass, the warm sun beating down on your back, and yet, you are trembling. Ydris has never been in his wagon before. Maybe he's preparing spells or potions or something, or even just reading a book. Maybe he's preparing an act. You almost don't want to interrupt him if he's busy, but, well, you came up here for a reason. Raising your first, you knock on the door.

It opens after you've knocked, as though someone on the other side pulled it open. But there is no one there. Of course there isn't. Ydris never needs to use his hand to do work, you know that well by now. Taking a deep breath and steeling your nerves, you walk up the steps and enter the dim interior of the wagon.

Your eyes adjust to the gloom fairly quickly, a spell no doubt put in place by a busy magician who doesn't have time to bumble around searching for things while he waits for his eyes to adjust. When you see him, though, your heart breaks just a little.

"Have you come at last, my dove?" Ydris asks, sitting in an armchair against the far wall of his wagon. An unlit fireplace is beside him in the adjacent wall, filled with charred paper. A glass of some amber liquid sits on a table beside the armchair, and Ydris lifts it to his lips as you look at him.

"You did say that I could come back," you say. Ydris puts the glass back down, looking away from you.

"I didn't expect you to take me up on that offer," says Ydris. "It was a fool's request, I thought. Just a fool who thought that you wouldn't mind if I said that I wanted your world to be destroyed so that mine might live."

"I still think you're wrong," you say, feeling guilty at having to disagree with him. Now it seems like you only came here to rub it in. You sigh, running a hand through your hair. "But I'm willing to hear you out."

"That is kind of you, dove," says Ydris. "Generous, too. But are you sure that the druids will allow this?"

"I don't really care what the druids say," you say. "I want to know the whole story, because I feel like the druids aren't telling me everything."

"Tell me, my dove, how much do you trust the druids?" Ydris asks, waving his hand so that an armchair appears behind you. You sink into it, facing him and glad to be sitting. Though, you wouldn't mind snuggling up next to him. Not now, though. Later. Serious conversations don't call for cuddling.

"Less than I did," you say. "Especially after what they made me do with that clock. I'm really sorry about that, by the way." You rub your hand over your forearm, guilt flashing through you again. All you can think about is how Ydris writhed and cried out in pain, how he begged you to stop, how his skin had literally crawled and almost bubbled as you'd pressed the Cosmic Clock to it. You try not to think about that now, though, but the guilt and horror must show on your face.

Ydris leans forward, cupping your cheek in his hand as he'd once done back when everything was good.

"The druids can be very persuasive, my dove," Ydris says. "You were only doing what you thought was right." You know that Ydris is only doing what he thinks is right, too. But you don't point that out, not wanting to bring up the elephant in the room. Not now when Ydris is holding your cheek so tenderly. You caress the back of his hand with your own hand, holding his hand there and enjoying the warmth that it brings. But you know that such comforts can only last for so long. At last, you pull your hand away, feeling your skin grow colder when Ydris pulls his hand away too.

"You mentioned Garnok," you say. It feels strange, talking about this with a non-druid, but Ydris clearly knows something that the druids don't know.

"Yes, before the Moon interrupted me," says Ydris. "But maybe that's just me disagreeing with others who can see the future." He sits up straight in his chair, beginning his explanation. "Garnok is a prisoner of Pandoria, much like your Anne is. Only Dark Core didn't put him there." He gives you a meaningful look, taking another drink of his alcohol.

"The druids...?" you ask. Ydris nods, swallowing.

"A clever dove," says Ydris. You shake your head, disbelieving.

"No, but... but the druids are fighting Garnok to save the world, wouldn't getting rid of him save Pandoria?" you ask.

"We wondered that, at first," says Ydris, looking off into the far distance as though seeing back in time. Which he probably is, given his gifts for Sight. "The ancient Pandorians, those who were around when Garnok was first banished there, believed that the druids would come and destroy Garnok. Or that the Soul Riders would. They did not. It was actually Dark Core who helped us the most, throughout history."

"But they're-" you break in before remembering. "Sorry." You blush. "Continue."

"It is difficult to take in, for someone taught by the druids, but it is the truth," says Ydris. "Dark Core wants to bring Garnok back to Earth, which would remove him from Pandoria. The Keepers of Aideen want to keep him there. He did possess the tentacled form that the histories tell of, when he was first banished there. He can still form those tentacles, if he wishes. Many a Manta has been his lunch, and many a wandering Pandorian who gets too close to the edge of an island.” He closes his eyes for a moment, and you wonder if he’s seen that happen. Who he has lost. “As the centuries wore on, though, Pandoria worked its toll on Garnok, just as it has worked its toll on everything else not native to that place. Garnok, however, did not simply mutate in the way that humans do. Instead, he shed his physical form and became instead pure energy. Too much energy. And that, in turn, hurt Pandoria. His energy is smothering the life force of Pandoria. My home. He can't be destroyed because there is no physical form to destroy. Once, yes, he could have been destroyed. But not anymore." He swallows the rest of the contents of his glass, glaring bitterly into the fireplace.

You feel cold, dizzy, as though everything you know has been turned on its head. Which it has. You sit back in your chair, glad for it now.

"That's horrible," you say. It's the least you can say, it doesn't convey half of the emotions that you're feeling right now.

"It truly is," says Ydris. "My home, destroyed because of an ancient war that we Pandorians wanted no part in. Well, that's not entirely correct. One of us did want to fight. And she did." He looks directly at you, his gaze pinning you in place.

"Who?" you ask.

"Centuries ago," says Ydris, "Back before I was even born or thought of, there was one Pandorian who decided to stand up to the druids. Aideen, she was called." He must see the flash of recognition in your eyes, the pieces falling into place. "Yes, that Aideen. The druids hadn't listened to our pleas for help, so Aideen created a portal and marched through to Jorvik herself, taking with her only her horse, a crystal that she called her Light, and a harp. I don't know what happened but legends say that she never returned."

"Keepers," you whisper. Suddenly, you hate the druids. Hate that they stole a Pandorian, that they destroyed Pandoria, that they no doubt stole Aideen's powers too.

"Be calm, my dove," says Ydris, laying a hand on the side of your neck. He draws it away, and your thoughts somehow still. Churning waves become clear, still waters once more. "Legends also say that Aideen gifted the druids with some of her powers. That was her intention, and I have seen that it is the case. Four Soul Riders, each gifted with a special horse. Her mission was to train the Soul Riders to come back and destroy Garnok. But they didn't."

"Because of the druids?" you ask.

"No," says Ydris, annoyance flickering across his features. "Because of that bloody war. The only way to get rid of Garnok back then was to destroy him. But Dark Core didn't want that, of course. One of the Soul Riders fell in battle. By the time the next one had been born and came to maturity, not to mention learning how to use her powers, Dark Core was strong again. And so it continued. Year after year. Aideen was frustrated, of course, not having factored time into it. We don't have time in Pandoria, as you well know by now. But she was young and naive and stupid and she died because she didn't know anything. It was a lesson to all us Pandorians. Don't go to Jorvik. Don't trust humans. Keep hidden, and stay away from time." He doesn't look so angry anymore. Mostly sad.

"You're right," you finally manage to say, weakly. "There’s no other way. Our world must die for Pandoria to live." Unless the prophecy means something, but… a druid told you about that too. Read it to you. Evergray may be exiled, but he’s still a druid. Still a part of that group of thinking. Though, he was exiled for asking questions but… you don’t know. You just don’t know. Everything is a mess right now, your thoughts unable to stay still. You want to ask Evergray, but one of the Soul Riders will want to come too or listen in, and besides, there’s a life at stake here. You don’t have time.

"Exactly," says Ydris, nodding. He looks relieved, as though he'd expected you to put up a fight. "The only way to get rid of Garnok now is to bring him to Jorvik, which would destroy it. And turn it into a new Pandoria. His energy is enough to create another world, by this point." You feel like crying, but you don't want to cry in front of him. Instead, you try to breathe deeply, but your breath hitches.

In an instant, Ydris' arms are around you, holding you tight to him as you tremble in his arms, swallowing tears but not fast enough. A few still escape.

"What can I do?" you ask, your throat tight. "I don't even know what the druids want me to do."

"You can come and play at my circus," says Ydris. "And I promise that when the world ends, I will be holding you. If that is what you wish."

You want to tell him that you'll be okay. You want to tell him that his world deserves to live. You want to tell him that as long as he loves you, it'll be okay.

But all you can think about is how devastated you feel that he was right all along. Earth must die for Pandoria to live.


End file.
